Mets’ implosion against A’s deals another blow to wild-card hopes

After getting demolished by the Mariners in a three-game sweep in Seattle, the Mets returned home and lost a series to the A’s, as their wild-card hopes took another hit. 

Thursday’s 7-6 loss at Citi Field was especially ugly considering they blew an early 5-0 lead with Jose Quintana on the mound. 

They’ve lost five of their last six games and have the Marlins coming to Queens followed by another series at Citi Field against the tough Orioles before trips to San Diego and Arizona for key matchups against the two top NL wild-card teams. 

They were done in by 11 walks by their pitching staff — and one grand slam. 

Facing A’s fireballing closer Mason Miller for a second inning, the Mets threatened in the bottom of the ninth as Tyrone Taylor was hit by a Miller pitch and Jose Iglesias drew a two-out walk, but Francisco Alvarez lined to center to end it. 

This one looked promising early as the Mets got a two-run blast from Mark Vientos — his first of a pair of homers on the day — and a two-run single by Luis Torrens in the third inning to go up by five runs. 

But Quintana, who loaded the bases twice in the first three innings without allowing a run, wasn’t as fortunate the third time around in the fourth as JJ Bleday’s grand slam got the A’s back in the game. 

And the wheels slowly came off after that, finished off by Miller’s first two-inning save of his young career. 

The Mets took the lead in the second inning, set up by a leadoff walk by Pete Alonso and a one-out double down the right-field line by Jeff McNeil after an 11-pitch at-bat. 

With Torrens at the plate, former Yankee prospect Mitch Spence threw a wild pitch that allowed Alonso to score the game’s first run. 

Quintana got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first by striking out Zack Gelof. 

Following a smooth second inning, Quintana loaded the bases again with two outs and again got out of it unscathed when Gelof flied out to right, this time to preserve the one-run lead. 

Vientos added to the lead in the fourth with his 18th homer of the season, a 406-foot, two-run blast to right-center.

Torrens’ two-run single later in the inning made it 5-0. 

After Bleday’s grand slam, Quintana hit Shea Langeliers with a pitch and Tyler Nevin doubled to left, but Langeliers was thrown out at the plate.

The slow-footed Langeliers was initially and inexplicably ruled safe by home plate umpire Scott Barry, but replay showed he missed the plate before being tagged out by Torrens. 

Vientos’ one-out, opposite-field homer in the bottom of the inning made it 6-4. 

Oakland inched closer again in the fifth with a run off Huascar Brazoban, who gave up a leadoff walk to Gelof, a single to pinch-hitter Seth Brown and then threw a wild pitch that scored Gelof. 

The A’s took the lead in the sixth with a pair of runs off Reed Garrett 

Bleday started the rally with a single and went to third on a Langeliers double.

A groundout by Nevin drove in Bleday to tie the score and a single to right by Brown put Oakland up, 7-6. 

And it could have been worse.

Phil Maton loaded the bases in the seventh but didn’t allow a run as the A’s left 16 runners on base.